Home for the Holidays

December 30th offers 4 games, which should all pan out to be good ones. In the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, Army is representing the Armed Forces both off and on the field today. They have jumped out to an early 16-0 lead over SMU at the half. The second game of the day is the New Era Pinstripe Bowl featuring two 7-5 teams as Darren Sproles' Alma mater Kansas State takes on Donovan McNabb's Syracuse Orangemen (first two names that came to my mind ). Syracuse has had a rather pedestrian offense, averaging just 178 yards in the air, and 130 on the ground, but what they lack in offense, they make up for in D with the 13th best D in points allowed per game in the FBS. Kansas State has a solid rushing attack, so look for them to get their "feet in the water" with a lot of running plays to open the game. Kansas State takes a close one 24-20.

The third game, which also offers the longest bowl name with 6 words, UNC plays Tennessee in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl (say that 5 times fast). This one is interesting, because on paper, both teams look practically identical in terms of record, 7-5 & 6-6, avg points per game, average yards per game, etc. I think a huge factor will be the fact that Tennessee will be playing in their home state, but hey, its a bowl game, so who knows. The spread for this game is 0, so apparently Vegas thinks it will end in a tie (where was this spread during the MLB All-Star game a few years back?). My guess, the SEC team wins 25-21.

The 4th game of the day should be a good one, as UDub aka the University of Washington takes on the Cornhuskers of Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. I am a little biased here because I was fortunate enough to be able to spend 2 months this summer playing baseball in Washington, and played with Jake Locker's cousin Brady (so vice versa, I am rooting for Brady Locker's cousin Jake, since Brade-O hated being called Jake's cousin) and my host family lived in Ferndale, WA which is Jake Locker's hometown, so Husky football and UW kind of grew on me. Washington will have their hands full as Nebraska looks like a clear winner on paper. In a classic bowl game thriller, I say UW some how, some way, wins 23-21 on a last second field goal.

Dec 29th Bowl Games

I have to give a Northrup Grumman Military Bowl shout out as there is a big NG base out here in Lancaster, CA. This game featured Maryland and Eastern Carolina. Maryland won big 51-20 earlier today. Running back Da'Rel Scott had 13 carries but accumulated 200 yards and 2 TD's in the process. His teammate, D.J. Adams, who is a freshman, scored 31% of the time he touched the ball today, as he scored 4 times on 13 carries. So basically the Terrapins scored more than ECU, and usually that is a good thing.

Illinois and Baylor are playing as I type in the Texas Bowl. One would imagine that Baylor would have the 'home field advantage' playing in their home state, but the Fighting Ilini have shown otherwise to start the game. Baylor had lost 3 in a row coming into today's game, and the slow starts have continued here. Look for quarter back Robert Griffin III to start throwing early and often to open the 3rd quarter.

In the final game of the day, Oklahoma State and Arizona square off tonight in the Valermo Alamo Bowl. After a hot start, Mike Stoops and company have lost its last 4 straight, including a double overtime loss to rival Arizona State to close the season. The number 14 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys will bring their high powered passing attack (#2 passing offense in the FBS) into the Alamodome, so look for Ok State to get to an early lead and win this one 35-27.

The Easy to Pronounce AdvoCare V100 Independecne Bowl Game Preview

Today's game features two top running offenses as the Air Force Academy Falcons match up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl Game in Shreveport, LA (If you can tell me what AdvoCare V100 does/is, you get bonus points). What is most intriguing about this game, is that it is the battle of #1 v. #2, running offenses that is. Georgia Tech comes in to today's game as the #1 ranked rushing attack averaging 327.0 yards per contest, and Air Force is literally right behind them at 317.9. What seems to be the be the x-factor, is when we look at the two teams strength of schedule. Air Force had 4 losses this year, but 3 of them came against teams ranked in the top 10 (TCU #5, Oklahoma #7, and Utah #8). Two of those games were decided by 5 points or less, which leaves me to believe that the Falcons can very much hold there own, and could get to an early lead against G. Tech. Not to mention AF has won 3 straight coming into this game. On the other sideline,Georgia Tech  played just one ranked team (#22 Virginia Tech) but only lost by 7. They are on a 1 game losing streak, as they lost the season finale rivalry game against Georgia 42-34.

It should be a vitamin rich and illegal substance free  football game (if you answered vitamin company in regards to AdvoCare, you take the cake on this one), and look for the gentlemen of the Air Force Academy to option their way to a 30-24 victory over GTech.

Turf Talk w/ Hawai'i's Jeramy Bryant

As half of our country shovels snow and puts chains on their tires to commute this Christmas Eve, some Americans will have to endure the harsh Winter time in the never appealing state of Hawai'i...ya right. Tonight's Hawai'i Bowl will be a good one, as the Warriors will play the Tulsa Hurricanes at Aloha Stadium. I was given the opportunity to ask Senior corner back, Jeramy Bryant some questions about the game, their defense, and more importantly, video games...

Question: What does it mean to you guys to be able to play a bowl game at home in front of the home fans?

Bryant: I think that its great experience to be able to be the home town team at your own stadium, and to have that opportunity to play one last time infront of your fans

Q: Your guy's offense likes to throw a little (or a lot actually. #1 passing offense in the NCAA). How does practice help the D prepare for games?

Bryant: I think it helps us a lot, especially with the coverage and blitz timing. The stats prove that we are used to seeing the pass, I believe were number 1 in the country in interception's at this point and time.

Q: Do you get time to play NCAA 10 on XBOX or PS3, and if so, how are your skills when the game is played on a TV rather than in real life?

Bryant: HAHAH I think its the same. I just enjoy trying to make a bunch of plays as does my team. We feel were he best in the country at what we do, but as far as what I'm rated on the game opposed to real life?????? overall could be better, but hey its a dream come true just to be on there.

Bryant is tied for second on the team in interceptions with 4, and is looking to pick off one tonight as the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl kicks off on Christmas Eve. Jeramy Bryant, stud on and off the field.

Recap and Review

The three bowl games this weekend ended up being a little more lopsided than expected, as the point spread's for each game were well covered. BYU finished the season with a decisive win over UTEP. BYU's defense stepped up big by forcing UTEP to be just 3-12 on 3rd downs, and complimented those numbers with 3 turnovers and 4 sacks.  In the second game of the day, Northern Illinois won 40-17 over Fresno State and it was the running game of the Huskies that got them into the endzone as QB Chandler Harnish scored twice himself, and running back Chad Spann found 6 points on a couple of TD runs that afternoon.

In the final game of the weekend, the Trojans of Troy took it to Ohio's Bobcat, winning 48-21. Troy's offense put up some astronomical numbers, as QB Corey Robinson threw for 387 and 4 TD's to 4 different receivers. The offense combined for 602 yards, and picked up 30 first downs. Ohio's defense seemed to have their hands full with all of Troy's offensive weapons. Troy moved the ball around both vertically and horizontally early with a reverse, back pass/flea flicker (I don't even know how to describe it it was so crazy). Senior wide out Jason Bruce threw a perfect spiral on the run to Robinson, who then threw it back down field to a different wide receiver. "I played QB in high school, so I still got it," mentioned Bruce. Plays like this helped open up the vertical passing game which led to the 4 passing TD's. "Once we started running our plays, and seeing how well they worked, we knew we would be in control." The few times the Trojans didn't score, punter Will Goggans went out to send the ball away, and after setting foot on the field, immediately won best goatee ever to participate in a bowl game. Goggans, who grew his facial hair out all year, let the blond masterpiece bask in the Superdome lights that evening. A true player on and off the field, Goggans did this so he could play Santa Claus as the team visited some young fans at a local children's hospital. The Troy football program showed that hard work, both on/off the field as well as in the barber shop, pay off greatly in the end.

College Kids Discussing College Football

Our panel of semi-pro pros discussed just exactly why we love college football and have Bowl Mania. Is it the playoff-like atmosphere for 35 games in 24 days? The trickery and football savvy that the coaches and players bring to each game? Is it the sweet names that companies spend tons of money on so people can forget anyways? If you answered yes to these questions, than you too have Bowl Mania. Let's break it down:

I talked (not really, texted, which is probably cheaper than calling anyways, weird..) with CSU East Bay athletes Lincoln Clapper and Nick McManus as to why they love bowl games. Clapper, who is majoring in college football in the fall/winter and NCAA bracketology in the Spring, says that bowl games, "match up schools against each other that you would never see during the regular season," and I couldn't agree more. Bowl games are set up to feature the best of each conference, and this in turn, creates interesting and entertaining match-ups.

Power hitting switch hitting third baseman McManus adds simply, "why do we like playoffs? Its the best of the best." That is exactly what we get this month, and on the 18th day of Christmas, ESPN is giving us the New Mexico Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, and the night cap, New Orleans bowl. So as Antonio Cromartie when with THE San Diego Chargers once said, "I hope y'all brought y'all's popcorn and drinks, cuz there's about ta be a show." I couldn't have said it better myself.

The Game Plan, w/ Troy University's wide out, Jason Bruce

I was blessed with the opportunity to ask Troy University's Senior standout wide receiver Jason Bruce a few questions about their upcoming game against Ohio this Saturday. Here is what he had to say.

Question: What is it like to be a wide receiver on one of the nation's most dynamic passing attacks?

J. Bruce: "It feels good to be a part of an explosive offense knowing that we have a lot of weapons and we use them in so many ways!"

Q: With the game being in Louisiana and relatively close to campus, do you think you guys will have a sizable advantage over Ohio in that sense?

Bruce: "I feel like we have the upper hand because the game is in the south and for me, it's like I'm playing in my backyard because I'm from Natchez, Mississippi which is not far from New Orleans.."

Q: Lastly, with all of the excitement and energy around a bowl game, how do you keep your focus before the game, during the game, etc.

Bruce: "Well I know why we are here and that's to win a game...of course I'm going to have fun and enjoy myself but at the same time, I want to take care of business and that's get a "W" Saturday night...So staying focused won't be hard for me but I know I love winning and that's what I plan to do Saturday."

Jason is tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns with 5, and is averaging 46.2 yards per game, so he has proved to be one of red-shirt Freshman QB Corey Robinson's  favorite targets. Jason's first career touchdown came on a trick play in the 09' season, so maybe we can expect to see some more trickery this Saturday night as the high-flying Trojans take on the Bobcats in the Superdome.

First bowl games have arrived

This weekend, bowl games 35-33 will be played. The New Mexico Bowl, which features the Cougars of BYU and the Miners of UTEP.  Both teams are an even 6-6, however the axe carrying Minors have lost 5 of their last 6, and the Cougars couldn't be in a more polar opposite direction as they have won 4 of their last 5 in which their loss was by 1 against the #20 ranked Utes of Utah.
-Prediction:  BYU wins 25-19.

In the uDrove Humanitarian Bowl aka the Kennel Clash, the Huskies of NIU take on the Bulldogs of Fresno State. The Huskies are 10-3 and won 9 in a row before losing to Ben Roethlisberger's Alma mater, Miami of Ohio in the MAC Championship. Fresno State is lead by quarterback Ryan Colburn who ranks 30th amongst all NCAA FBS QB's, but NIU ranks 13th in points per game (37.8) and 16th in points against (19.1).
 -NIU is a solid team, but  the Bulldogs of Fresno State find a way to outscore NIU (via field goals), 27-23.

Ohio and Troy round up the Dec. 18th games in the R+L Carriers Bowl. The Bobcats (8-4) have a balanced running attack and will look to tame the high flying aerial attack of Troy (7-5) , who is 27th in points per game and lead by freshman QB Corey Robinson, who is 11th in the FBS in total passing yards @ 3,339.
-Troy  takes the lead early, and doesn't look back, 33-23.

First Things First

Before bowl season starts, we gotta finish the regular season! 

Navy (8-3) and Army (6-5) will go toe-to-toe in a much heated rivalry game this weekend in the 111th meeting of the two military academies. Kick-off is at 11:30 AM PST, and it will be hard to miss for college football fans, because quite simply, it is the only game on this weekend as it is the last regular season game of the year. It is one of the oldest rivalry games of all-time, with the first meeting of the two back in 1890 when Navy won 24-0. Last year, The Midshipmen beat the Black Knights 17-3 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA, which has traditionally been the site since 1932. The USNA (United States Naval Academy) has won 8 straight against the USMA (United States Military Academy). 

Both schools offer an option style of offense, so both defenses will have their hands full as Navy is 5th in all of Div. I NCAA football in rushing yards per contest with 302.5, and Army trails closely at 260.3 rushing yards per game which makes them 9th. Both team's starting quarterbacks combine for 230 pass attempts on the year, which is basically what Peyton Manning does in 3 weeks in the NFL...

Both teams have received bids to play in Bowl games this month as well, as The Naval Academy is playing in the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego on Dec. 23rd, and Army will be playing in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl on the 30th. Air Force completes the military school bowl game sweep as they will play in the Independence Bowl against Georgie Tech, and what I found via research, will be the first time EVER that all three schools will be "bowling" in the same season.

• Fun fact, instant replay made its debut in the Army-Navy game back in 1963.

Teams punch their tickets

With Auburn (1) winning the SEC and Oregon (2) flying by the Beavers, both teams win their respective conferences and will face each other in the National Championship. TCU will get to travel to Pasadena, CA to play Wisconsin, who will be making their first trip to the Rose Bowl of the new millennium, when they beat Stanford in 1999.Oklahoma and UConn will be eating Tostitos at the Fiesta Bowl, Arkansas/Ohio State draw the Sugar Bowl match up, and Virginia Tech and Stanford will get their Vitamin C in the Orange Bowl on January 3rd.

Bowl Mania will start up in about 2 weeks, with 3 games on December 18th. The New Mexico Bowl (BYU v. UTEP), uDrove Humanitarian Bowl Bowl (NIU v. Fresno State) and R+L Carriers Bowl in New Orleans as Ohio will play Troy.

Team match ups and previews coming soon!

Thanks for checkin in.

First bowl games announced

With conferences wrapping up regular season play this past weekend, some bowl games have already been announced. Here is the entire bowl schedule as provided by on ESPN.com

2010-11 College Football Bowl Schedule

Bowl	Location	Date/Time	Network
New Mexico BYU vs. UTEP	Albuquerque, N.M. University Stadium	Dec. 18 2 p.m.	ESPN
uDrove Humanitarian Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State	Boise, Idaho Bronco Stadium	Dec. 18 5:30 p.m.	ESPN
R+L Carriers New Orleans Ohio vs. Troy	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Dec. 18 9 p.m.	ESPN
Beef 'O' Brady's St. Petersburg Southern Mississippi vs. Louisville	St. Petersburg, Fla. Tropicana Field	Dec. 21 8 p.m.	ESPN
MAACO Las Vegas Utah vs. Boise State	Las Vegas Sam Boyd Stadium	Dec. 22 8 p.m.	ESPN
S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Navy vs. San Diego State	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 23 8 p.m.	ESPN
Sheraton Hawaii Hawaii vs. Tulsa	Honolulu Aloha Stadium	Dec. 24 8 p.m.	ESPN
Little Caesars Florida International vs. Toledo	Detroit Ford Field	Dec. 26 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
AdvoCare V100 Independence Air Force vs. Georgia Tech	Shreveport, La. Independence Stadium	Dec. 27 5 p.m.	ESPN2
Champs Sports West Virginia vs. NC State	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Dec. 28 6:30 p.m.	ESPN
Insight Missouri vs. Iowa	Tempe, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium	Dec. 28 10 p.m.	ESPN
Military Bowl Presented By Northrop Grumman East Carolina vs. Maryland	Washington, D.C. RFK Stadium	Dec. 29 2:30 p.m.	ESPN
Texas Illinois vs. Baylor	Houston Reliant Stadium	Dec. 29 6 p.m.	ESPN
Valero Alamo Oklahoma State vs. Arizona	San Antonio Alamodome	Dec. 29 9:15 p.m.	ESPN
Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Army vs. SMU	Dallas Gerald J. Ford Stadium	Dec. 30 Noon	ESPN
New Era Pinstripe Kansas St. vs. Syracuse	Bronx, N.Y. Yankee Stadium	Dec. 30 3:20 p.m.	ESPN
Franklin American Mortgage Music City North Carolina vs. Tennessee	Nashville, Tenn. LP Field	Dec. 30 6:40 p.m.	ESPN
Bridgepoint Education Holiday Nebraska vs. Washington	San Diego Qualcomm Stadium	Dec. 30 10 p.m.	ESPN
Meineke Car Care South Florida vs. Clemson	Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium	Dec. 31 Noon	ESPN
Hyundai Sun Notre Dame vs. Miami	El Paso, Texas Sun Bowl	Dec. 31 2 p.m.	CBS
AutoZone Liberty Georgia vs. UCF	Memphis, Tenn. Liberty Bowl	Dec. 31 3:30 p.m.	ESPN
Chick-fil-A South Carolina vs. Florida State	Atlanta Georgia Dome	Dec. 31 7:30 p.m.	ESPN
TicketCity Northwestern vs. Texas Tech	Dallas Cotton Bowl	Jan. 1 Noon	ESPNU
Outback Florida vs. Penn State	Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	ABC
Capital One Alabama vs. Michigan State	Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl	Jan. 1 1 p.m.	ESPN
Gator Bowl Mississippi State vs. Michigan	Jacksonville, Fla. EverBank Field	Jan. 1 1:30 p.m.	ESPN2
Rose Bowl Game presented by VIZIO Wisconsin vs. TCU	Pasadena, Calif. Rose Bowl	Jan. 1 5 p.m.	ESPN
Tostitos Fiesta Connecticut vs. Oklahoma	Glendale, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium	Jan. 1 8:30 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN3D
Discover Orange Stanford vs. Virginia Tech	Miami Sun Life Stadium	Jan. 3 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
Allstate Sugar Ohio State vs. Arkansas	New Orleans Louisiana Superdome	Jan. 4 8:30 p.m.	ESPN
GoDaddy.com Middle Tennessee vs. Miami (Ohio)	Mobile, Ala. Ladd-Peebles Stadium	Jan. 6 8 p.m.	ESPN
AT&T Cotton LSU vs. Texas A&M	Arlington, Texas Cowboys Stadium	Jan. 7 8 p.m.	FOX
BBVA Compass Bowl Pittsburgh vs. Kentucky	Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field	Jan. 8 Noon	ESPN
Kraft Fight Hunger Nevada vs. Boston College	San Francisco AT&T Park	Jan. 9 9 p.m.	ESPN
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game Oregon vs. Auburn	Glendale, Ariz. U. of Phoenix Stadium	Jan. 10 8:30 p.m.	ESPN/ESPN3D